A wide variety of electronic devices may be equipped with user interfaces which are responsive to a touch action. Such user interfaces, which may be configured as transparent sensor panels which extend across a display, provide enhanced control and user interaction. Various implementations of user interfaces which are responsive to a touch action are available, including resistive sensor panels or capacitive sensor panels. Interfaces which are not only responsive to a direct touch, but which are also operative to sense proximity of an object provide additional versatility in the control of electronic devices. For illustration, a user may control different functions depending on whether the user's skin directly contacts the user interface or hovers above the user interface at a distance.
Touch sensor panels can be used in portable electronic devices, such as cellular phones, personal digital assistants, portable computers, or similar devices. Such portable electronic devices may be operated by a user wearing a glove, e.g. when used outdoor in cold weather conditions. Conventionally, a user may find a touch-sensitive user interface to be less responsive when operated through a glove, made from fabric, leather or other material which is not electrically conductive, when compared to the responsiveness attained when the skin directly contacts the user interface. In some cases, it may not be possible to operate the touch-sensitive user interface at all when the user wears a glove. Similar difficulties may exist when the portable electronic device is covered by a removable protective cover, or when the user does not wish to directly contact the user interface for other reasons. One approach to further enhance responsiveness of the user interface is to combine plural different interface technologies, e.g. by using both a resistive and a capacitive touch panel.
Such an approach may increase the amount of hardware required, and may add to the complexity and costs of the device. Manual adjustments of the responsiveness may reduce the comfort offered to the user.